Process of and apparatus for reducing the gravity of petroleum-oil



(No Model.) I 2 ShpegsSheet 1.

' A 1). ROGERS.

rnocn ss or AND APPARATUS r03 REDUCING THE GRAVITY 0P PETROLEUM OIL.

No. 284,332. Peite'lltedSept.4,1888.

u. Pains Pbulo-Lillm rapha r. Wmhinglon. n. c.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

" A D. ROGERS.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING THE GRAVITY- 0P PETROLEUM OIL.

No. 284,332. Patented Sept. 4, 13 3,

N. FFIERS, Phcwmhn m mr. Washinglon. B. Q

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

DAVENPORT ROGERS, OF GALION, OHIO.

PROCESS OFAND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING THE GRAVITY 0F PETROLEUM-OIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,332, dated.September 4,

Application filed July 11, 1882. (NomodcLl -.l'0- all whom it mayconcern..-

Be it known that I, DAVENPORT Roens, of Galion, in the county ofCrawford. and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of and Apparatus for Reducing the SpecificGravity of Petroleum- Oil or its Distillates, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, refer: ence being had to:theaccompanying drawings, forming part hereof.

The object of this invention is to obtain an oil from petroleum suitablefor lubricating purposes, and in which the specific gravity is 'reducedand the cold-test retained, the object thus being the direct opposite ofthat of my inventionin United States Letters Patent No. I 211,055, datedDecember 17, 1878 5 and my present invention consists in heating crudematerial to a point just below the point of active vaporization, andseparating its light from its heavy portions by'subjecting it in a thinstream-that is to say, in bullg f0rm to continuous currents of air underpressure, and condensing su ch light portions, while the heavy portionsare run off as separated, the heavyor main products being alubricating-oil of heavy specific gravity, high fire-test, and retainingthe cold-test or freezingpoint of theoriginal material, as hereinafterspecifically set forth and claimed. I

In the drawings referred to, in the several figuresof whichlike partsare similarly des- I to show the coil therein.

ignated, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an ap paratus for practicingmy invention, a portionof the shell of the heater being broken awayFig.;2 is a side elevation of the same with a portion of the condenserbroken away. Fig. 3 is atopplan view thereof. Fig. 4 is an elevation ofthe internal mechanism of the separator. Fig. 5 is a vertical section ofthe separator; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line a m of Fig. 5,looking down. The heater Amaybe a cylindricaltank, and

has a steam-inlet pipe, II, and an outlet, F,

for steam and water of condensation, and also has an oil-inlet, O, whichis continued as a coil, B, within the heater. This coil 13 is extendedfrom its bottom turn through and out of the heater, and across up to andopens in a separator, E, through itstop. Between the heater andseparator is arranged a cylindrical tank, G, having communication withpipe D through a branch pipe, 2', which tank becomes, a as hereinafterexplained, a trap to relieve the heater to the separator. This trap hasa drawoff cock, m, near its bottom. The pipe D terminates within theseparator in the shape of a flaring nozzle, to, (see Figs. 1, 4, and 5,)inclined from the pipe at .an angle. Furthermore, said pipe has a cock,m, for controlling the supply of oil to the separator, and also has anattached thermometer.

The separator is composed of anouter shell or cylindrical metal tankclosed at both ends, within which isa concentric cylinder, I, and

within this cylinder I is a closely-fitted concentric cylinder, K, openat both ends, and provided with alifting-rod, L, attached thereto by across-bar, c. The cylinder I has openings 6 made in its upper end,whereby communication may be established between the interior of thecylinder I and the annular space between said cylinder and the externalshell of the separatorE, the extent of such communication being governedby the covering (more or less) of said openings by the cylinder K, whichis movable by the lifting-rod, and serves-as a cutoff, and the contentsof said cylinder I find an exit throughthe pipe j, suitably located andarranged. In the annular space or chamber between the outer shell andthe inner cylinder, I, is arranged an in clined plate, J, which may windabout the cylinder I spirally,and is of the width of said annularchamber. "The upper end of this plate is just under the mouth a of thepipe D, the said mouth being preferably inclined toward said plate todischarge and spread its contents upon said plate. This plate,furthermore, has at intervals throughout its length openings d, coveredwith wire-cloth; or forami- I nous openings otherwise made may beprovided, and beneath these openings are funnelshaped tubes 6, extendedas pipes M, which pipes end again in inverted funnels f, arranged overopenings in a diaphragm or division plate, 70, which forms the bottom ofthe annular chamber and the cylinder I, the said funnels f being incommunication by the open ings in plate It with an air-chamber, a, inthe lower end of the separator E. Air underv pressure is supplied tosaid chamber a by a pipe, 0, and flows in constant currents through thefunnels f, pipes M, and funnels 6, up through the plate J, and outthrough the openings b,cylinder I, and tube j. The outlet j IOC 'trapped and let out at B.

5 more bends and returns, 1 1, and a draw-off cock, H, within thecondensing-tank. This 0011 may be connected by cross-pipe a with asecond and similar coil, 1), having bend and return 2 2 and draw-offcock I, and-this sec ond coil be similarly connected toa third coil, 0,having bend and return 3 3 and draw-off cock J, and this last coil mayterminate in an open pipe, R. These coils are simply a con-(lensing-coil provided at intervals with cocks I 5 to draw off thecondensed matter according to its gravity.

The operation is as follows: The oil to be treated is conducted from anelevated tank (not shown) by the inlet-pipe 0 into the coil viouslyletinto said heater, the oil in said coil is heated to a point justshort of vaporization. The 011 thus heated passes into the tank G willsettle to the bottom or be trapped, and,

displacing an equal volume of oil, will compel i such oil to flow oninto the separator, and so on continuously. The oil enters the separator through the flaring nozzle a, and is by it directed and spread uponthe plate J in a stream or in bulk, and flows thus down such plate.While the oil is flowing over the plate .J a1r is forced into thechamber N through plpe G, and, entering the funnels f, is compressedthereby and directed into the pipes M,

whence it is spread out under and through the oil by theforaminous-mouthed funnels e, fractionally separating the lighterhydrocarbons therein from the heavier, and carrying such lighter matterthrough the openings 12 into the cylinder I and out through pipes j Ainto the condenser, wherein it is condensed, and its successivelylighter portions drawn off through the cooks H I J as oils of varyinglight specific gravity. The heaviest portion of the separated matterpassing over through pipe A is The heavy or main product of the oil,thus deprived of its most volatile elements, runs down the plate J, and,falling on the bottom plate, 70, runs into and through pipe D tosuitable receivers. (Not shown.) The area of communicating openingsbetween the annular air-chamber and the chamber I, governable by thesliding gate or cut-off K, effects'the retarding or increasing theseparation, as may be desired. Thus when the cut-off is down, leavingthe whole extent of opening, the heavier portions of the separation arecarried over into the cylinder I along with the lighter portions,thereby effecting ,a very rapid separation; but the hydrocarbon carriedover will, nevertheless, be of a heavy specific gravity. When the slideis drawn up,

less heavy hydrocarbons will be'carried over with the light, and lessand less as the area of the openings is diminished, the quantity of B ofthe heater, and, steam having been prethrough the pipe D and its branchi, and as such tank is filled the heavier foreign matter 7 the heavierportions carried over being dependent upon the sufficiencyof the forceof the currents of air used for effecting the separation to carry theparticles over the cut-off.

The apparatus shown and described in my Patent No. 211,055 is in somerespects similar in construction to this; but the mode of operation andproduct of the two are entirely dissimilar and directly opposite. v Inthe patout the product obtained was an illumina ingoil of light specificgravity, light color, and high fire-test, and it was obtained by runningthe whole product from the still together, and afterward separating thelight hydrocarbons and gas and returning the light hydrocarbons to theoil. In this present improvement the resultdesired is a heavy-gravitylubricatingoil that will not chill or freeze in cold weather; and Iobtain it by keeping the heat to which it is subjected below the pointwhere destructive distillation begins, destructive distillation beingthe occasion of the ruin of the cold-tests in all the lubricating-oilsmanufactured in the ordinary way. By the process herein described I amenabled to retain the cold-test of the original material, although thespecific gravity is'reduced, and I accomplish this reduction byfractional separation.

What I claim is- 1. The process of reducing petroleum or itsdistillates, consisting in heating the same to a point just below activevaporization, then subjecting the heated oil in a thin continuous streamto the action of aseries of independent currents of air, therebyfractionally separating the light from the heavy portions of the oil,immediately removing the mixed light separations and condensing thesame, and allowing the heavy portions to run off, whereby the specificgravity is reduced, the fire-test raised, and the original cold-testretained, substantially as specified.

2. The separator E, having the partition 70, dividing the tank into twoair-chambers, as described, in combination with cylinder I, providedwith openings 12, valve-cylinder K and device for sliding the same,inclined plate J, provided with perforated portions, as described, andlocated between cylinder I and the walls of the tank E, air-pipes M cf,vapor-outlet, oil inlet and outlet pipes, and an air-inlet pipeconnected with the lower airchamber, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the heater A, its

coil B, inlet and outlet pipes thereto, trap G,

connected with the outlet-pipe, the separator E, composed of theair-chamber hlcylinder I, valve or cut-off K, inclined plate J,air-tubes e M f, nozzle a, and air inlet and outlet pipes, and anoil-outlet, and a condenser, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- DAVENPORT ROGERS. Witnesses:

R. W. JOHNSTON, B. OoLLINs.

